Montessori Basics 11: Materials and Resources for Elementary 9-12

I get more and more questions about 9-12 all the time, and I think it’s great! It means that parents and teachers are so thrilled with the way children progress in 6-9, they want it to continue. I’ve been assembling some helpful 9-12 information and thought it would be nice to put it together in one post.

First, here is a list of essentials for 9-12. Is this everything you need? No, but it’s the basics. You’ll want to look through something like my Comprehensive List for 9-12 to see every concept that’s covered. But if you’re just starting out, this list should be helpful.

One great thing about Montessori elementary is that appropriate resources can be brought in that are not necessarily “Montessori”. For instance, when it comes to studying something like the Periodic Table, resources can be found online or at teacher stores that are very compatible with Montessori.

I’m sure there are more places to find 9-12 materials, so please share!

Hi, Dominic! Maria Montessori did not leave materials and curriculum for ages 12-15. Instead, she left the outline of a plan called Erdkinder, where high school age children live on a farm and run it themselves, while studying all the different subjects.

Hi, Casey! I believe 9-12 uses workplans just like 6-9. You can see examples of 6-9 workplans here: Elementary Workplans and actually there are 4th grade workplans there too. I do not have workplans for 5th and 6th grade and do not have plans to add any at this point.

Peace education at this age needs to build on everything a child has learned so far. They need to review conflict resolution skills and continue to role-play conflict resolution so they know what to do when they are in conflict with someone else. The classroom should have ground rules that everyone follows (respect for others, etc) and you can have weekly class meetings to talk over any issues that arise.

Are these teachers educated/certified? Or just trained? And do the children graduate with a real diploma or a “special diploma”? After leaving a Montessori school , what other requirements are needed to attend an accredited university?

Hi, Penny! The Montessori 9-12 program goes through 6th grade. “9-12” refers to the ages of the children, not the grades. There is no diploma, just like students in a traditional school leaving 6th grade do not receive a diploma. The school will give each student a transcript with progress reports, test scores, etc. to take with them. They can enter a private or public middle school with no problems whatsoever.

Montessori 9-12 teachers are educated, certified, and trained. Their education and certification is part of their training.

It seems like you might be thinking of a Montessori high school program? There are very few of them in the US, but they do the same thing that the elementary program does – provide children with a comprehensive transcript and test scores when they graduate. Requirements to enter a college or university will differ by learning institution.

Hi, Penny! There’s more than one type of certification and more than one type of Montessori school, so things can be confusing.

Certification: There is a teaching certificate from the state and there is Montessori certification which you get by completing a Montessori training course and all of its requirements. They are completely different certifications and are not connected in any way.

School: If the Montessori schools is private, it will require Montessori certification but not necessarily a teaching certificate. If it is public, it will require Montessori certification and a teaching certificate as well.

However these are just general guidelines; you’d have to contact each school you’re interested in and ask about their specific teacher requirements. It can vary by school.

Or, you can look up any species and the Wikipedia article will tell you, along the right side, its kingdom, phylum, class, etc. The nesting dolls/boxes are just a way to illustrate that concept. The largest box is the kingdom, getting smaller and smaller until the smallest box, which is the species.